


Devil's Advocate

by secretflame



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-16 12:29:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21507967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretflame/pseuds/secretflame
Summary: When Jade West first met her angel, she wasn't expecting to end up dancing with her. She wasn't expecting to take her home. And she sure wasn't expecting to fall in love with her.
Relationships: Tori Vega/Jade West
Comments: 27
Kudos: 247





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally published elsewhere, but I figured it was time to move to AO3! Some things have been edited, but the core of the story is the same as it was.

The first time I met an angel was at The Laughing Dragon, back around Halloween.

  
It had to have been around then, because everyone in the place was dressed up in some sort of costume. There were at least thirteen vampires, most of the sparkly variety, with dolled-up floozies in kitten-ears hanging off their arms. The rest of the club had various costumes that I didn't give a fuck about. I, personally, was dressed up as a devil; a rather sexy devil if I must say so myself. Red satin draped my body, hugging my curves in all the right ways, hanging down a bit past my thighs. Devil horns poked out of my hair, and red highlights shone out in my dark brown locks.

  
"Hey there, pretty lady...how about you and I go someplace private?"

  
I turned my head to face the source of the slurred, overconfident voice. "Unless you want to get a drink thrown in your face, I would leave. Quickly."

  
His face contorted into an expression of anger. "Hey, I was just asking a question. You don't have to get all bitchy about it."

  
I picked up my glass, studying the contents. "Three...two..." I looked back up at him. "Don't make me say one."

  
"God, you bitches are all the same." He yelled, stalking off. I debated throwing the glass at him anyway, but decided against it. No use in wasting the alcohol.

  
I raised the glass to my lips, taking a long sip of the vodka.

  
"You know, that guy has been bothering every girl in this club."

  
I looked to my left to see an angel sitting next to me. And no, I'm not kidding. This chick was dressed up as a messenger from heaven, complete with glittery halo sitting on top of her silky brunette hair.

  
"Has he?" I raised my eyebrows. "Well, I'm glad that every other girl in this club has enough good taste to not let him in their pants."

  
"Like I would let that drunk idiot anywhere near my pants." She smiled at me, extending her hand. "I'm Tori."

  
I took her hand, shaking it gently. "Jade. Nice to meet you." I cast a quick look down at her body as she turned her head for a moment. Not bad.

  
"So...who are you here with?" She asked, crossing her ankles in front of her.

  
"No one." I replied, watching as her eyes left my face, her gaze trailing down my body. "And you?"

  
"No one." Her eyes came back up to meet mine. "That could change though...if..."

  
"If?"

  
"You decided to be my date tonight." She grinned slyly, her eyes shining with mischief.

  
I leaned in closer to her, setting my drink down on the bar. "And what would make you think that I would be remotely interested in being your date?"

  
"Well..." She bit her lip, and for the first time, I could tell that she was nervous. "At least five guys have approached you tonight, and you rejected every single one of them. You're also not here with anyone. And..." She paused, seemingly hesitant. "You haven't stopped staring at my chest since I sat down."

  
"I could say the same about you." I smirked, watching her face go red. "Besides, maybe I was just looking at the stain on your dress."

  
She looked down quickly. "What stain?"

  
I laughed, rolling my eyes. "I was joking."

  
"Oh..." She looked back up at me. "So...anyway...what do you say? Want to be my date tonight?"

  
I cocked my head slightly, amused. "What's in it for me?"

  
"A night with an attractive, young angel?"

  
"You sure you want to do that? I mean..." I gestured to my horns. "I'm pretty sure it's morally wrong for a devil to date an angel."

  
She stood up, offering her hand to me. "I'm willing to risk heaven's fury if you're willing to dance with me for a while."

  
I took her hand, sliding off my chair. "Well, as long as you're willing..." I grinned, watching her eyes light up. "Then I'm willing to burn in hell's mightiest inferno."

  
She smiled, leading me to the dance floor. "Do you know how to dance?"

  
I raised an eyebrow at her, then rolled my eyes. "Of course I do. Question is..." I walked around her, my hands settling on her hips. "Do you?"

  
She responded by softly swaying her hips, her arms crossed in front of her, hands on top of mine. I started swaying as well, her back pressed against my chest.

  
I don't know how long we were dancing, nor do I really care. All I know is that there was music, bodies, and heat. Oh so much heat. Her body was pressed so close to mine, it was almost like she was a part of me. Or maybe I was a part of her. Her heat was radiating into me, her perfume wafting up like some intoxicating smoke.

  
She stopped dancing for a moment, and turned her head. She looked like she was about to ask me something, but I stopped her with my lips before she could utter a single word.

  
If she was surprised by my sudden kiss, she didn't show it. In fact, she started kissing me back with a ferocity that I did not expect.After a few moments, I pulled away, softly gasping for air. "Damn..."

  
"Uh...huh." She replied, taking in a deep breath. "Wow."

  
I looked at her, suddenly nervously confident. "So..uhm...would you like to come back to my place for coffee?"

  
She smiled slyly, her eyes shining with something that I couldn't recognize. "Depends. Do you even own a coffee maker?"

  
"Does it matter?"

  
She shook her head. "No, I suppose it doesn't."

  
"Good." I grinned. "Then shall we?"

  
Tori nodded, taking my hand once more. "Yes."  
________________________________________

  
We made it back to my place, and by that time, the anticipation was about to kill me.

  
I shut the door, and in an instant, Tori was on me, her lips burning as they met mine. The shock of her eagerness didn’t keep me from pushing her against the wall, hands tangling in her hair as I felt her teeth graze my bottom lip before she moved to my neck. A moan escaped me as she sucked softly on my pulse point, her hands snaking behind my back, looking for the zipper to my dress. I pulled away from her to catch my breath, not failing to notice the hunger in her eyes.

  
"We should go to my bedroom." I whispered, "It's more...comfortable."

  
She nodded quickly. "Uh huh."

  
I grabbed her wrist, and led her towards my room. As soon as we were inside, I claimed her lips again, gently leading her towards my bed. I pushed her back onto the bed gently, letting her lie between my pillows, my knees on either side of her.

  
I grabbed my horns, and pulled them off my head, throwing them aside. "Don't want to stab you with those or anything." I remarked dryly, feeling my heart beat a bit faster as she laughed.

  
She pulled off her halo, tossing it as well. "Don't want to mislead you into thinking I'm really an angel."

  
"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem." I leaned down, kissing her softly. "Angels generally don't do things like this. Especially not with a devil."

  
"Well, sometimes they make exceptions...especially when the devil is incredibly beautiful."

  
I laughed, rolling my eyes. “You must think that flattery will get you far, don’t you?”

  
"You tell me." She grinned, then hooked her legs around me, flipping us over so that she was on top.

  
"What..." I began, before she shut me up with her lips. I moaned softly as her hand slipped behind my back, finding the zipper to my dress. I sat up, trying to make the process somewhat easier, allowing her to pull the dress over my head, leaving me wearing nothing more than a smile.

  
"Damn..." I heard her whisper in my ear. "You really are beautiful, you know that?”

  
I rolled my eyes, my hands finding her zipper. “What did I say about flattery?” I pulled her zipper down and waited for her to pull the dress off, watching her toss it onto the floor next to mine. I took a moment to looking at the naked body perched on top of mine. “Holy shit. Are you sure you’re not an angel? Because let me tell you…”

  
"Shut up." She replied, lowering her head down to my chest. She left soft kisses on my collarbones, moving down slowly to my breasts.

  
"Fuck..." I moaned as her lips closed around my hardened nipple, her tongue gently flicking the perky bud. I could feel the heat between my legs grow, painfully aching, and couldn’t stop myself from moaning even louder as she sucked. I felt a thigh press between my legs, applying much-needed pressure as my hips bucked towards the sky.

  
I felt her laugh against my chest. "Impatient, aren't you?"

  
"Oh, fuck you..." I muttered, feeling my arousal grow and grow.

  
"There’ll be time for that, I’m sure,” Tori replied, looking down at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Now, just be a little more patient, would you?” Her lips left searing imprints down my abdomen as her right hand replaced them on my breast, kneading gently as I watched as she got closer and closer to my center. I gasped as she kissed the inside of thigh before my hips automatically bucked in response to her tongue flicking against my core . Before I knew it, she was inside me, fingers going in and out, her tongue softly flicking against my clit in controlled bursts.

  
It only felt like seconds before I was swept away and all I knew was the feeling of her hands, her lips, her skin against mine. Her scent wafted over me, and I could feel myself getting higher and higher before it ended in a glorious wave of euphoria and ecstasy.

  
She lazily flicked her tongue against me a few more times as I came down from my high, stopping only when I hooked my legs behind her and flipped us over so that I was staring down at her.

  
“My turn,” I said, before leaning down and kissing her deeply once again.  
________________________________________

  
I woke up the next morning to an empty bed, and an empty apartment.

  
At least she left a note.

  
_Dear Jade,_

  
_Thanks for the coffee._

  
_-Tori_


	2. Chapter 2

I've had my share of one-night stands. I've been left before, and I've done a lot of leaving myself. It never bothered me before...why should it? It was a casual fuck, nothing more.

That being said, I was royally pissed when I woke up and Tori wasn't there lying next to me. And I didn't know why.

Maybe it was just the suddenness of it all. Or maybe it was the fact that she didn't just leave without a trace. No. She had to leave a fucking note. That's just not what one does if you're going to leave like that. What you do is leave and you don't bother leaving anything behind other than some bruises and hickeys. You sure as hell do not leave a goddamn note.

But, whatever. She was gone, and I had a life to get back to.

And she sure as hell wasn't going to mess with that.

* * *

"Andre! If you're going to stand there, at least be useful and practice your lines, or something!" I yelled, watching him stand about lackadaisically.

"Sorry, Jade!" He yelled back, seemingly genuinely apologetic. "I'll get right on that!” He scurried off to join the others on the stage, muttering to himself as he went.

I shook my head, sighing softly. Actors. Not the most dependable of beings, but you couldn't have a proper play without them. A pity, really.

"You seem tense." a familiar voice remarked behind me.

I turned my head to see Cat walk up. She sat down next to me, handing me a cup of coffee as she did. Steam tickled my nose as I took a generous sip.

"Thanks,” I began, taking another sip before continuing. "And I'm fine."

"Really?" She cocked an eyebrow and stared at me. "Because you're squeezing that cup pretty hard, and that doesn’t scream _fine_ to me.” She took a sip of her own coffee, shrugging. “But hey, what do I know.”

I glanced down at the cup in my hand, easing up my grip when I noticed that she was right and that the Styrofoam was beginning to crack. "Fine. You got me. I might be a bit tense."

"Any particular reason? Or are you just cranky for the sake of being cranky?"

I glared at her. At one time, Cat had been…well, naïve, if I’m putting it kindly. During high school, I would have been able to tell her that the sky had decided that blue was too sad of a color and therefore would be neon pink from now on, and she would have believed me before going outside to check for herself. College seemed to have changed her though, because now she was so much more insightful and serious. For the most part, that was a blessing. But right then, I really missed the old, ditzy Cat. It was so much harder to lie to her now.

"I'm fine, Cat." I continued to glare at her, trying to prompt her into dropping the subject. Apparently, that was too much to ask for.

"Can I just take a guess?" She leaned back in her chair, taking another sip from her coffee before continuing. "It's a girl, isn't it?"

I turned my attention towards the stage, trying to appear disinterested in anything other than the group of actors fumbling through their lines. "What makes you think that?"

She gestured towards me. "Well, a couple of things. First off, I smell perfume that you absolutely would never wear." She paused, watching me grab my collar and sniff it. Shit. She was right. Tori must have sprayed it at some point in the night, maybe while I was in the bathroom, because I definitely would not wear such a flowery scent. "Second, you haven't denied that I was right. You always tell me when I'm wrong." She smirked. "Plus, you have one hell of a hickey."

My hand absently made its way to my neck as I reminisced about how it had gotten there. _Her lips are everywhere. My chest, my face, my neck. She's sucking down on my pulse point and it's driving me crazy. Oh god, it feels so..._

I blinked quickly, making the images and feelings go away as I let my hand drop back down. "Oh." I looked away from Cat, feeling my face grow hot. The Styrofoam in my hand creaked ever so slightly as my grip grew tighter once again.

I heard her laugh, and felt her grab my arm. "No need to be ashamed, Jade. It's just me."

I looked over at her, eyes rolling as dramatically as I could manage. "So?"

"So...I don't care what you do." She set her coffee down and propped her head in her hands, putting her elbows on her knees as she looked at me. "So, tell me about her."

I tried to ignore her gaze, looking once again towards the stage. A muffled crash could be heard in the distance, and I decided that my attention would probably be better spent answering her rather than worrying about whatever shenanigans were going on behind the curtain. I sighed, leaning back and taking another sip of coffee before finally replying. "Met her at the Dragon. Took her home. Had some fun. Woke up, and she was gone." I shrugged. "No big deal."

"Was she pretty?"

"Why do you care?" I snapped, glaring at her. She glared right back at me, not backing down.

"Well, if my ex-girlfriend is going to be fucking someone, I want her to at least be pretty!" She looked away as soon as she said that, and I felt a familiar ache in my chest. I wondered if she felt it too, but knew not to ask. Instead I reached out, gripping her shoulder gently, trying to coax her into looking at me again.

"Hey...Cat...come on..." I signed, dropping my hand. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."

She glanced my way, shoulders sagging a little. "Yeah. Yeah, okay.” Her eyes wouldn't meet mine as she reached down for her cup again. "So...is she?"

"Pretty?" I paused, reflecting back onto the previous night. "Yeah...yeah she was. Absolutely beautiful. An angel, actually." I bit the inside of my lip to keep myself from laughing at my own inside joke and instead watched as Cat’s face fell.

"Dammit, Cat...I thought that we were over this..." I heard the now-familiar creak of Styrofoam and realized that it was coming from her cup this time.

"I..." She began, before we were interrupted by Andre frantically sprinting towards us.

"Jade!"

I glared at him, but was secretly thankful for the interruption. "What do you want, Andre?"

He fidgeted as he stood in front of me, his hands clasped behind his back. "Uhm...well, you see..."

"A little faster, if you please." I demanded dryly, becoming more and more irritated as his squirming increased.

"Well, you see, Sam and I were practicing our lines backstage, okay? And Sinjin...well, he was testing out the curtains...and…”

I waited for a moment for him to continue before realizing that he needed additional prompting. "And...?"

He hopped from foot to foot. “and… a sandbag fell on Sam's head."

A trickle of steaming coffee ran over my thumb as a tiny crack appeared in the side of the cup. “A _what_ hit my lead actress?”

Andre’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed nervously. “Uh, yeah. A sandbag.” He looked down at the ground, suddenly very interested in his shoes. "She definitely won't be able to do the show now."

I stared at him, feeling my blood pressure rise. "She's seriously that hurt?"

He nodded, wringing his hands. "Yeah...honestly, I don't think heads are supposed to have a dent in them."

"Fuck." I rubbed my temples, trying to calm down. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Okay." I looked back up at Andre, taking a deep breath. "Call an ambulance I guess. And send her a fruit basket from all of us, would you?"

He nodded, his head bobbing back and forth far too quickly. "Yeah, sure..." He started to back up. "uhm...may I leave? Please?”

I waved my hand towards the stage, feeling a headache begin to form behind my eyes. "For the love of God, get the fuck out of here." He turned away almost immediately, practically tripping over himself as he went. I waited until he disappeared behind the curtain before I set my coffee down, covering my face with my hands with a groan. "Goddammit. Now I need a new lead." I turned my head so that I was facing Cat, who still seemed determined not to meet my gaze. "Ready to put your executive producer status to work?"

She nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah...I guess so.”

"Good...because I need you to set up some auditions for me. Put out flyers, send out internet ads, hire a gigolo to seduce an actress, I don't care. Just...find me some people that might be worthy of my time. And quickly. We only have a few weeks before opening night."

Cat stood up, looking down at the floor. "Don’t worry, I’ll find someone.”

There was a tinge of sadness in her voice, and I was transported back to a time when she had been the one that I thought about all the time. The one that I woke up next to in the morning. The one that I might have loved.

"Jade?"

I looked back up at her, forcing back the barrage of memories that had invaded my thoughts. "Yes?"

"Do you think...that if things had gone differently..." She trailed off, shaking her head. “Never mind. I’ll send you the casting call as soon as I get it printed off.”

“Cat…”

She shook her head again, gathering up her belongings. “Don’t worry about it, Jade.” She looked at me, flashing me her signature smile, though it didn’t quite meet her eyes. “I’ll see you later, okay?” She didn’t wait for me to respond before walking away, tossing her cup in the trash can at the top of the theater on her way out.

I sighed, leaning over to pick up my now-cold coffee. I brought it to my lips, then brought it back down. I wasn't thirsty anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

The second time that I met an angel was purely a coincidence. At least, that’s what I tell myself so I can feel better about the situation.

Cat did her job well. Flyers were posted, e-mails were sent, and casting agents were called. Everything that needed to be done _was_ done. The only problem was that everyone- and I do mean _everyone-_ that showed up to audition sucked. Like, really, really sucked. I know I can be cruel, but if we squeezed every drop of talent out of the women who showed up for the audition, it wouldn't even be enough to fill a dixie cup.

"Leeeeeave it all to...meeeeeeee!" screeched the woman on stage, throwing her arms up in the air for dramatic effect.

I stared at her for a moment, actually impressed. Impressed that I had finally found the worst singer in the world.

"Next."

She stared at me, her gigantic smile sliding off her face. "...what?"

"I said, next. You didn't get the part."

She kept on staring, her jaw slowly dropping. "But...but I was perfect!"

"Look..." I glanced at my clipboard to find her name, "Trina. You need to leave now. Go home, and find a new hobby. Please."

Trina stamped her foot on the stage, the thud echoing through the auditorium. "No! Give me the part!"

I sighed, and waved my hand. "Oh, Watson!"

Trina appeared to be getting rather agitated. "Watson? What the hell is a Watson?"

I pointed behind her as I saw Watson appear. "That's Watson."

Trina turned her head, shrinking back as she saw the hulking form of Watson, our security guard looming over her.

"Oh...uhm..."

Watson grabbed her arms, lifting her off the ground. "Will that be all, Ms. West?"

I nodded. "Thank you, Watson."

"Anytime, Ms. West." He carried Trina off, ignoring her kicking and screaming. I chuckled softly as I heard her cries of anguish fade off into the distance.

"Don't you think that was a bit much?"

I turned my head to see Cat slide into the seat next to me. "Not really. I mean, she was really bad."

"But to have Watson carry her off?" She shook her head. "That was just mean."

"Why do you care?" I flipped through the names on my clipboard irritably, knowing already that Trina's name had been the last on the list. "Goddammit, she was the last one.”

"I care because I don't want you to turn into a complete bitch." She replied, a hint of anger in her voice. "And she's not the last one. There's someone out there yet."

I considered calling her out on her “complete bitch” comment, but Cat hadn’t been acting normal since the other day, and rocking the boat even more didn’t seem like the best idea. Instead, I chose to focus on her last words. "There’s someone else?”

She nodded, sighing. "Yeah. Should I go get her?"

I nodded in reply. She stood up, walking out of the auditorium. I sighed, rubbing my temples softly. All I wanted to do was go home, pour myself a generous glass of whiskey, and watch _The Scissoring_. Just one more audition, I told myself. Just one more.

* * *

"Right this way, Miss. Up on the stage you go." I heard Cat tell someone, but I didn't bother to look up from my clipboard. If they sucked, I didn't really want to be able to put a face to the voice. It made being a “complete bitch” that much easier.

"Okay." I heard the reply, and it immediately caused my ears to perk up. I knew that voice from somewhere.

"Could you tell us your name, please?" Cat requested as she sat back down next to me. I glanced over at her, then back to my clipboard, picking up my pencil.

"Uhm...I'm Tori. Tori Vega."

_Crack._

The pencil snapped in my fingers as I finally looked up at the woman on the stage. Tori. Motherfucking Tori. The angel of the bar, now standing in front of me, looking like hell just froze over.

"Uhm...Jade? You okay?" Cat asked, giving me a confused, worried look.

"Yeah...perfectly fine..." I replied through gritted teeth, trying to keep my cool. Jesus fucking Christ, what the hell was she doing here?

"So...uhm...I'll be performing an original piece...if that's okay..." Tori said, her face chalk white.

"That's completely fine." Cat replied, continuing to stare at me. I glared at her for a moment until she looked away.

"Okay...uhm..do you happen to have an accompanist?" She held up a handful of sheet music. "I have music..."

Cat looked over at me, seemingly waiting for me to reply. When I didn't, she looked back to Tori, and nodded. "Yeah, we do. I'll go get him." She stood up, walking out of the auditorium, leaving me and Tori alone.

I finally looked up at Tori, hoping my gaze could cause her to shrink away into nothing. She refused to meet my eye, which pissed me off even more. I was about to say something to her, not quite knowing what, when Cat came back in, Andre in tow. He walked over to Tori, taking the music from her hands.

He looked at it quickly, then nodded. "Yeah, I think I can play this fine." I saw his eyes quickly scan her body, and a smile spread across his face. "Perfectly fine."

"Thanks so much" Tori said, her hands clasped behind her back. Her face hadn’t yet regained its color, and she couldn’t seem to stand completely still.

"Stop staring and go play the goddamn song, Harris." I said, my tone emotionless. I saw both him and Cat stare at me for a second, and then he just nodded, and walked over to the piano, sliding onto the seat.

He cracked his knuckles quickly, then looked at Tori for confirmation. She looked at him, nodding quickly.

His fingers started to press down on the keys, the soft music filling the air around us.

After a short musical introduction, Tori started singing.

" _Here I am...Once again...Feeling lost but now and then..._

_I breathe it in, and let it go..._

_And you don't know where you are now,_

_Or what it will come to_

_If only somebody could hear._

_When you figure out how..._

_You're lost in the moment,_

_You disappear..."_

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

She was good. No. Better than good. She was excellent; far better than anyone that had tried out. Far better than our original lead. Fuck. Better than anyone that I'd heard for a very long time.

" _You don't have to be afraid to put your dream in action..."_

Her eyes were closed as she sang, like she was almost afraid to see if people were watching. Or maybe it was something else. I don't know, I'm not a goddamn psychologist. Either way...her eyes were closed, and that pissed me off. If I had to watch her, she should damn well have to watch me too.

" _You're never gonna fade, you'll be the main attraction..."_

I considered throwing something at her; make her open her goddamn eyes, when she finally did. They met mine, and I could see a certain fire burning in them; a fire that was almost the same as that which burned in her eyes the last time we had been together.

" _Not a fantasy, just remember me...when it turns out right."_

I shouldn’t have been turned on, not with how angry I was, but Jesus Christ I could have just as easily jumped her right then as I could have slapped her.

" _'Cause you know that if you're living your imagination, tomorrow you'll be everybody's fascination."_

Fuck.

" _In my victory, just remember me...when I make it shine..."_

She held the last note for a few moments, then let it fade away. Her eyes never left mine, that familiar fire fading away as the music ended.

I made myself look away from her, and down at my clipboard. "Cat."

Cat quickly made her way over to me, her face showing her shock at Tori's performance. "Yes?"

"She was the last one?”

Cat nodded quickly. "Yeah. Are we hiring her?"

I gritted my teeth, clenching my clipboard harder. "Do we have much of a choice?"

She shook her head. "No...no we don't. And she's good, Jade...really good."

"Dammit, I know!" I sighed, irritated. "Tell her she's hired. I'm going home."

I stood up and walked away, trying to ignore Tori's squeal of happiness from being told she got the part.


	4. Chapter 4

I walked out of the theater quickly, making sure to ignore the footsteps I heard behind me. I didn't want to deal with her, with the situation, with any of it. I just wanted to go home, drink a few shots of bourbon, and pass out on the sofa with _The Scissoring_ playing in the background. But no. Of course that wasn't going to happen.

"Jade! Jade, come on, stop walking away from me!”

I gritted my teeth, and kept on going. Almost to my car. Almost to my car. Almost there.

"Jade!" A hand grabbed my shoulder, and I spun around quickly, pissed off at the very idea that she thought she could touch me.

"What do you want?" I snapped, pulling away from her grasp.

Tori stared at me in shock for a few moments, then stepped back. "I just...I don't get it."

"Get what?"

"What is your issue?"

I felt my jaw drop, and my eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”

She stood up a bit straighter. "I said, what's your issue? I thought we...you know...had a good time the other night. Why are you ignoring me and acting like…like _this_?”

I stared at her, utterly confused by her obtuseness. "...you're kidding, right? Tori, you ditched me! I woke up, and you were gone.” I shook my head, disgusted. “I thought I would at least get a goodbye or something...and now you're here, taking the lead in a play I'm directing, and I'm supposed to act like everything is fine and fucking dandy." I could hear my voice getting higher and louder, but it was too late to stop. "But it's not!"

I would have kept going, but I was stopped by the sudden force of Tori's lips on mine. I froze, utterly confused by the sudden turn of events. What the fuck was going on? Was I dreaming? Did Cat finally snap and slip me something and this was all going to be a drug-induced fever dream? These trains of thought began to trail off only when I realized that I had started to kiss her back.

I forced her off of me, gasping for breath. "Goddammit, Vega!"

I could have sworn I had seen a sly smile on her face for a second. "What?" She leaned in closer. "I had work that morning, Jade, so I had to leave, otherwise, I wouldn't have left.” She stepped back, a hand absently running through her hair. “I guess I did forget to leave my number, so I’m sorry about that. But I never said that I wanted it to be a one-time thing, did I?”

I just stared at her. "Wait…what?”

She just grinned, and turned around. "I'll see you at practice tomorrow, Jade."

…..

Fuck.

* * *

A half-hour later, I was home, and a bottle of Jack Daniels was in my hand.

Yeah, yeah. Drinking is bad for you and your precious liver.

Like I give a fuck.

I twisted the cap off the bottle, and debated grabbing a glass to pour it in. After a moment of consideration, I decided to just drink it straight. What did it matter, in the end, if I used a goddamn glass or not? It wasn't like I had anyone to share it with.

I took a sip from the bottle, grimacing as the alcohol burned its way down my throat. Another sip, and then I made my way into my living room, throwing myself down on the sofa. In another moment, I had the tv on, and _The Scissoring_ began playing.

I tried to focus on the movie, but the thought of Tori's lips on mine kept butting in. I was still confused as to what had happened. Why did she do that? What was the point of all that? Was she being truthful? Was she really planning on making that a regular thing?...and if she did, was I okay with that?

I finally managed to block thoughts of her out, but then my mind kept wandering back to Cat.

Cat Valentine. My girlfriend of three years, best friend for a lot longer. We always knew we would end up together; it was just one of those things that was inevitable.

What wasn't, though, was finding her in bed with another woman.

That ended that, and ever since...well, things had been strained, but we made it work. Of course, there were some tense moments...moments when memories

_Red hair spread out on my pillow, eyes closed, lips parted._

Came back to me.

I looked at the bottle in my hand, considering it briefly.

Fuck it.

I took another swallow.

* * *

_Five hours later_

* * *

You know, people say that being drunk causes people to do dumb things that they wouldn't do if they were sober.

That might explain why I found myself outside Cat's door, hammering random patterns into the wood, yelling for her to open the door.

I wish I could say that I knew what I was doing. I wish I could say that I was sober enough to control my actions.

I wish I could say those things, but I couldn't. I was drunk as a fucking skunk, and I had no fucking idea what I was doing.

Which is why, when the door finally opened up to reveal a confused and tired-looking Cat, I immediately threw myself onto her, my lips pressed hard against hers.

* * *

I must have blacked out sometime soon after that, because when I woke up, I didn't remember a goddamned thing past kissing her.

I opened my eyes, groaning as the sunlight streaming through the window blinded me. "Fuck..."

"You can say that again."

I turned my head, only to see a familiar red-head staring at me from across the room. Speaking of rooms...was this my bedroom? How the hell did I get back here?

Cat leaned against the wall, her arms crossed tight across her chest, the expression on her face alternating between rage and devastation. It had been a while since I had seen her look like that. "Want to explain to me what the hell you were doing?"

I sat up, wincing as my head throbbed. "What...what are you talking about?"

"Why the hell did you show up at my house last night, Jade?” Her hands gripped her elbows, knuckles turning white. "Why did you kiss me?"

I held my head in my hands, rubbing my temples slowly. “Can we just…not go there? It doesn’t matter.”

"It doesn’t matter?! Are you fucking kidding me, Jade?” Her voice was almost shrill, and it sent shards of pain stabbing into my brain. "You can't...you can't do things like that! This isn't one of those things that you can just brush away, Jade!" I could hear her voice crack, and a sharp ache went through my chest.

I lowered my hands, and gazed at her. "I was drunk, Cat. I don't even remember what happened last night."

She shook her head, laughing bitterly as a trail of tears making their way down her face. "You want to know what happened? You left auditions without even telling Tori she got the part, she went after you, and then hours later, you showed up at my house, drunk out of your mind, and you kissed me. If I hadn't stopped you, you would have done even more!" She looked at me, her eyes shining with tears. "And I wanted to let you. God, I wanted to let you so fucking badly. But I couldn't, Jade, because you don't want me anymore, and I know that! So, I took you home. I took you home and tucked you in and waited for you to wake up like a good friend but I just don’t _get_ it. Why the hell did you show up at my house?" By the end, she was practically yelling, her hands curled into fists, eyes red and angry.

"I don't know!" I yelled, my voice breaking as I forced myself to look away from her. "I don't know."

"Well, you need to figure it out, because I can't handle it, Jade!" I looked back up at her, watching as she angrily wiped away the tears that streaked her face. "I can't handle you...doing things like that! You can't just kiss me again, Jade! Not after we ended things...not after all of that!"

"Well, maybe this wouldn't be an issue if you hadn't decided to fuck around with that tramp and ruin our relationship!”

  
Her eyes met mine, shining with an unfamiliar rage. “And maybe if you had been a better girlfriend, maybe I wouldn't have slept with her!”

I glared at her for a few moments, then turned away. "Get the fuck out of my house."

A heavy pause. "I hope you grow up soon, Jade. Because I'm not going to try and be your friend until you do." A few seconds later, I heard the door slam shut, and I was alone once more.

Fuck.


	5. Chapter 5

_"Oh God..." she moans, her body quivering underneath my hands._

_I smile, running my hand down her thigh. "You like that?"_

_"Yes..." she breathes, eyes shut, bottom lip captured between her teeth. Her red hair is spread out on my pillow, and I just want to run my hands through it, hug her to my chest, and never let go._

_I run my hand back up her leg, gently cupping her center. She gasps underneath me, and I close my eyes for a second so I can relish in the noises that she's making._

_I open my eyes. "I love..." I look down at her, my voice trailing off. "You..."_

_It's not Cat anymore. The red hair is replaced with soft, silky brunette tresses, the pale skin now a soft bronze..._

_Tori. It's Tori._

* * *

My eyes flew open as I forced myself awake, skin soaked in a cold sweat. A deep throbbing pain sat behind my eyes, and I focused on it instead of the dream that I had just had.

Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I managed to stand upright before stumbling into the bathroom. I turned on the faucet, collecting water in my cupped hands, splashing it on my face. The water was cold, far too cold, but I did it again, then looked in the mirror in front of me.

I looked terrible.

My eyes were bloodshot and puffy. It looked like I had been crying, even though I hadn't been. Goddamn hangovers. Mascara streaked my face, and my lips had a touch of red to them that definitely wasn’t the color of my own lipstick.

"Fuck..." I muttered, grabbing a towel off the rack, wiping my face. Black smeared on the white cloth, but I didn't care. All I cared about was getting some coffee, and then maybe going to practice.

Shit. Practice.

I ran out into my bedroom, and stared at my clock. 3:00. I was an hour late already.

Shit.

* * *

_Thirty Minutes Later_

* * *

"I'm here!" I yelled, running into the theater.

"You're late," stated a voice from behind me.

I whirled around to see Watson standing behind me. "I know, I know."

"The others aren't very happy, Ms. West." he looked down at me, his eyes gazing into mine. "I would hurry up and find them."

"Where are they?" I asked, mildly unsettled by his unblinking gaze.

"Back stage. Ms. Valentine has been trying to keep them occupied."

I nodded, already making my way to the stage. "Thanks Watson."

As I made my way up the aisle, all I kept thinking about was Cat. What was she going to do when she saw me? What was I going to do when I saw her? God, why did I have to go to her house...why did I have to make things even worse between us?

I climbed up on the stage, and peeked my head around the curtain. The cast was sitting on the various chairs we had set up, and none of them looked particularly happy to see me.

"About time you got here." I heard Cat remark, and the tone of her voice shook me to my core. There was no emotion in it. There was nothing. And trust me, that was scary. Cat always had at least a little feeling to everything she said and did, so to hear nothing was unsettling.

"I hit a lot of traffic,” I lied, the words coming easily without having to think about it. “I'm sorry.” The apology slipped out before I could stop it, and I wasn’t sure if I was apologizing to the cast, or to her. It didn't really matter either way. "I'm here now, so lets get to work.”

The cast stood up, grumbling quietly to themselves. I saw Tori walk towards me, and I turned around quickly and jumped off of the stage, making my way to my seat. I didn't want to have to deal with her today too. I could only deal with so much.

Tori stood on the stage, looking down at me. "Where should I be, Jade?"

I glared up at her. "Stage left."

She nodded, making her way over to where I had directed. Andre made his way out onto the stage, standing on the opposite side.

I motioned to Sinjin, who was perched in the lighting booth. "Lights!”

A spotlight shone down on the stage, making its way over to Tori. Another one focused on Andre.

"Are your mics on?" I asked Andre, who tapped his lightly, the sound echoing out through the theater. Tori did the same.

"Okay. Tori, do you know your part?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I think I know the choreography pretty well too, though it might be a little rough yet. I hope you don’t mind if I keep my script with me, though?”

I just nodded at her, sighing. "Okay. Well then...let’s begin."

Andre held out his hand, walking closer to Tori. "Come with me. I can show you things that you've never even imagined. I can show you the world, the universe, anything, if you just come with me!"

Tori reached out for his hand, then hesitated, shrinking back. "I...I have a life here, Jake! I...I can't just leave it on a whim!"

Andre grabbed her hand in both of his, staring into her eyes. "Why not? What do you have here that I can't offer you?"

"I have friends...family..." I saw her eyes glance down at her script. "A job..."

"Your friends aren't true friends. Your family doesn't care whether you stay or leave. And your job sucks the life out of you." He released her hands, gesturing off into the distance. "Teresa, you have the world at your fingertips...so take a chance, and come with me!"

He took a breath, and I had to stop myself from cringing. Musicals weren't exactly my favorite genre...but, hell, a paycheck is a paycheck.

Andre looked out to the audience, sweeping his arm in front of him. " _I can show you the world..."_

"Cut!" I yelled, glaring at him. "Not funny, Harris."

He grinned, and I could see Tori biting her lip as she tried not to laugh. “I don’t know, Jade, I thought it was pretty funny.”

"Just sing the right song, Andre. No funny shit. I'm not in the mood." I could see Tori break, her shoulders shaking with laughter, and the sight made me even angrier.

"All right, all right." He coughed, then took a deep breath. " _I see you pause...I see you wait...but if you don't come with me, it will be too late..."_

Tori stepped forward, and looked out into the empty theater, before meeting my gaze. " _You just can't see...what you do to me... but I have a life...how can I leave?"_

Andre took her hand, waving his other arm out in front of them. " _There is so much more out there...than we have here..."_

Tori swept her arm behind her. " _But what about them? Am I to just leave them behind?"_

Andre pulled her closer to him, staring deep into her eyes. " _Forget about everyone else...think for yourself!"_

She looked down at the ground, then back out into the audience. " _I don't...I can't..."_

_"Yes you can..."_ He hooked a finger under her chin, lifting it so she was looking at him. " _I believe in you..."_

With that, he bent his head down, kissing her softly. " _Come with me..."_ A wave of jealousy washed over me, and I gripped the armrest tightly, internally berating myself.

She stepped back, touching her lips. " _Maybe I should..."_

_"Come with me..."_

She looked at him, then me, then back at him. " _Yes I will!..."_

She ended on a high note that she held for a few moments, then slowly lowered her arms. "So...how was that?"

I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the jealousy that still burned inside. "It was fine. Very musical."

"Is that a bad thing?" Tori asked, confused.

"She hates musicals." Cat replied, coming out from behind the curtain. "Don't take anything she says to heart, Tori."

"Oh...okay. So, it was okay, then?"

I stood up, starting to walk out of the theater. "It was great, Vega. Stop worrying, and go home."

I walked out before anyone could respond, eager to get home, and eager to get away from the women who were driving me insane.

* * *

Home. A place of belonging, a place of comfort, a place of...

Fuck that shit.

I didn't go home. I went to The Laughing Dragon instead, wanting desperately to drink away my confusion.

"Rum and Coke." I told the bartender, slipping onto the bar stool.

He nodded, pulling the ingredients off the shelf. "Didn't I just see you the other day?"

"Yeah...there a problem with that?"

He slid the drink in front of me, wiping his hands on a towel. "Not at all. But...you're alone this time. What happened to that sweet honey you were here with?"

I glared at him, putting as much animosity into the gaze as I could muster. "Drop it."

He shrugged, raising his hands in front of his body. "Okay. Forget I said anything." He walked away, tending to some other poor bastard.

I picked up my drink, taking a generous swallow.

"Drinking is bad for you."

I gripped my drink tighter, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up as I fought the urge to just start swinging. “I don’t remember asking your opinion. And what are the fuck you doing here?"

"It's a bar, not your home. I don't need permission to come here." Tori replied, sliding into the seat next to me. "And maybe...I just wanted to see you."

"Go away."

Tori just rolled her eyes, motioning for the bartender. "You can't tell me what to do, Jade. We're not at practice."

"I said, go away." I forced myself to look away from her, trying to concentrate on my drink instead. "I don't want to see you."

"I really don't care." The bartender finally made his way over to Tori, and took her order.

I took another sip of my drink, trying to calm my nerves. "Last chance, Vega. Either leave, or I'm going. And if I have to go, I'm going to be really, really pissed."

"Just give me a chance to say what I want to say, okay? Then I'll leave you alone if you want."

I considered it, wishing that I was drunk. I swallowed the rest of my drink, figuring I’d at least give myself a fighting chance. "You have a minute. Use it wisely."

Tori sipped her drink, then set it down on the bar. " Listen, Jade. I like you. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't have let you take me back to your place to get coffee the other night." She paused, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "I already told you that I didn't want that to be a one time thing.”

"But what if I want it to be? Maybe I like having one night stands. Ever think about that?"

Tori's sly grin was starting to really piss me off. "Well, judging by how upset you were that I left, and by how much of a gank you’ve been since then, I'm guessing that you don't feel that way."

I glared at her again, hating that I had conveyed my emotions so easily. "What do you want, Vega? Your minute is flying fast."

She looked at me, her grin fading. "I just...I just want to start over. Can we do that?"

"Life doesn't work that way."

"But it can for once, don't you think?" She stuck out her hand. "Hi. My name is Tori Vega, and I think you're really pretty."

"Tori..."

"Just shake her hand, girl!" the bartender said from behind us. I turned my head, glaring at him. He held up his hands, and backed away. Rolling my eyes, I turned back to Tori.

I reached out, gripping her hand tightly. "Hi Tori. I'm Jade West, and I think I'm making a huge mistake."

Tori released my hand, checking her watch. "Minute’s up, Jade. Still want me to leave?"

I sighed, looking at my empty drink. "Yes.”

She started to stand up, her eyes betraying her disappointment. "Okay. I guess I'll..."

I grabbed her wrist. "Wait. You didn't let me finish." I stood up, not releasing her arm. "I want you to leave with me. Let's go get some coffee or something."

She hesitated, but within moments the smile reappeared on her face. "Okay."


	6. Chapter 6

"So..." Tori began, looking down at the cup in her hand. "This isn't exactly what I was expecting."

I rolled my eyes, bringing my own cup of coffee up to my lips. "I said we would get coffee, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but..."

I held up a hand, shaking my head. "Tori, just shut up."

"Okay..." She whispered, taking a sip of her coffee.

I leaned back in my chair, the front legs coming up off the floor for a moment. "So."

"So."

"Why are you doing this?"

She looked at me, eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"

I sighed heavily, clapping a hand on my forehead. "Jesus, Vega...it's not that hard to understand. Why did you come back? Why me?"

She shrugged. "Why not you?"

I just stared at her for a moment. "Well...I'm just someone you slept with once. Usually that means…”

She shook her head. "I don't do things like that, Jade. I don't sleep with someone unless I actually like the person themselves. I wasn't planning on having you just being a one-night stand. It just came across that way, and I really am sorry about that." She paused, taking another sip of her drink. "And why you? Well...first off, look at yourself. You're absolutely beautiful." She grinned, and I saw something flash in her eyes. "Other than that, you seemed...mysterious. I wanted to figure out what makes you that way." She looked up at me, eyes twinkling. "That reason enough?"

I nodded, gripping my coffee cup a bit harder. "Yeah."

"Good. Now... answer a question for me."

I motioned for her to continue, leaning forward a bit, the legs of the chair settling back onto the floor.

"Why are you here?"

I paused, thinking of an answer. "Because I want to be."

"But, why?"

I looked back up at her, biting my lower lip. "Because I want to. That's basically my reasoning. I'm curious, and I feel like this could be...fun."

Tori nodded, setting her cup down on the table in front of her. "You know, we know nothing about each other."

"So, remedy that."

"How?"

I rolled my eyes, and stood up. "Come on. Let's go turn on some tv, and if you want, we'll play 20 questions while we watch. Sound good?"

She nodded, letting me lead her into my living room. I pointed her towards the couch, and grabbed the remote, flicking on the tv. Then, I sat down next to her, handing her the remote.

"Find something."

She took it, and started flipping through the channels. Eventually, she settled on some chick flick, and then set the remote down, turning towards me.

"So…can I go first?"

"If you so desire." I felt curiosity burn inside me, but I attempted to keep up the façade of indifference, though I knew it wasn’t all that convincing.

"Okay...how old are you?"

I looked at her, amused. "Don't you know that you're never supposed to ask a woman her age?"

Tori's face went red, and she started stammering. "I...I didn't..."

I chuckled, rolling my eyes. "I'm just fucking with you, Vega. I'm twenty-five. And you?"

She smiled, trying to get rid of the embarrassed blush on her face. "Twenty-four."

"Ah...still a young one then..." I grinned. "Still so much innocence to corrupt."

She threw a playful punch at my arm. "I'm only a year younger than you. Besides, I'm not innocent. I think we already established that."

I grinned even wider. "Yeah, we sure did, didn’t we?."

"Perv. Anyway...my turn again."

"What? Bullshit! You already asked me one!"

She nodded. "Yeah...but then you asked me the same question. Therefore, it’s my turn."

My eyes narrowed. "Bitch..."

She grinned, leaning back into the sofa. "Why are you directing a musical?"

"Because it's a fast and easy paycheck."

She shook her head. "No, no, that's not what I meant. I meant...why directing? You don't really seem like someone who is all into the theater scene."

I motioned to myself. "I don't?" She shook her head in response, and I shrugged. “I direct because I like doing it. If I wasn't doing that, I'd be performing. Still do, on occasion."

"Are you any good?"

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Yes?”

"I don't believe you."

"Too bad."

Tori leaned closer to me. "Show me."

"What, you want me to perform a play for you?"

She shook her head. "Sing, Jade. Sing me a song."

"I'm not your pet, Vega. I don't just perform tricks for you."

She started pouting, her lower lip drooping down. "Pleeeeease?"

"I don't give in that easily."

She sighed dramatically. "Fiiiine..."

"Good, because.." My words were cut off as her lips were suddenly on mine, and she had me pinned to the couch. I struggled for a moment, somewhat confused, then as realization hit, I started moving my lips in response to hers.

Her hand slowly slipped underneath my shirt, her skin cold against mine. I shivered, feeling her hand cup my breast, the fabric of my bra blocking her from doing more.

She broke apart from the kiss for a moment, taking a breath. "Shirt. Off."

I sat up quickly, allowing her to pull off my shirt, discarding it onto the floor carelessly. She smiled, and went back to allowing her hand to slip around my back, undoing my bra, pulling it off my body and tossing it aside.

"Tori..." I started to say, before her lips were on my neck, sucking underneath my jaw. I moaned involuntarily, lost for a moment in the feeling of utter ecstasy.

"Shut up..." she murmured, her lips peppering my skin, making their way down my neck and to my chest.

I considered arguing, then realized the stupidity of that. I had a hot girl on top of me, and she was currently doing things to me that could be considered a sin in many cultures. Why the fuck should I argue?

She made her way to my breasts, her lips replacing her hands. Her tongue darted out, flicking against my nipple quickly.

"Damn..." I moaned, a familiar ache beginning to burn in my core. "You are far too good at this..."

"Mhmm...and you know what else I'm good at?" Her hand slipped down my torso, making its way down south.

"What...?" I breathed, feeling her fingers start to fidget with the button on my jeans.

"Making people incredibly sexually frustrated." She sat up, rolling off of me.

I blinked, confused. "Wh..."

Tori leaned over me, a mischievous grin on her face. "Mayyyyybe...if you sing for me, I'll keep going."

I stared up at her, taken aback. "No...way...you are such a bitch!" I sat up, propping myself on my elbows. "You can't do that!"

"Yes I caaaaan." she sang, backing away from me. "So, what's it going to be, Jade? Are you going to sing and be happy? Or are you going to just stare at me for a while, and then tell me to go fuck myself? Because either way...I win."

I gawked at her, still utterly amazed at her audacity. "You are an evil, evil woman."

"Thank you. I know."

I stood up, debating my options. "Vega, you forgot to consider one thing..."

She cocked her head. "Oh? What is that?"

I grinned. "I always get what I want."

"I don't see how that..."

I cut her off, grabbing her arm, and pulled her off of the sofa, pulling her with me as we traveled the few feet it took to get into my bedroom. The backs of her thighs hit the side of the bed, and I pushed her down onto it gently.

"What are you doing?" I heard her ask.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm doing exactly what you did to me...I'm just...doing it my way." I leaned down to kiss her neck, feeling her heartbeat flutter rapidly beneath my lips. “Any problem with that?”

I waited a moment for her to reply, and when she didn’t, I slipped my hands under the hem of her shirt.

"Jade..." she whispered as she let me lift her shirt over her head, supporting her as she sat up to allow me to do so.

"Hmm?"

"Are we going too fast?"

I stopped what I was doing, and stared down at her. "What?"

"Are...what the hell are we? What are we doing?"

I looked down at her, one hand already prepared to undo her bra. "Well, right now, I'm preparing to give you the best fuck of your life. And I don’t know what we are but does that matter right now?”

“I guess not.”

I sat up, straddling her. “But if you’re having second thoughts, just say so, because I will be off of you quicker than you can say “no.”

She shook her head, smiling a bit. “No, that’s definitely not the case, I just...wanted to make sure that we were both okay with this. And I just wanted to clarify that, well, I’m not planning on leaving in the morning this time?”

I stared down at her, face completely deadpan. “Vega. If I was worried you were going to leave, do you think I’d be seconds away from ravishing you?” I waited for her to shake her head before continuing. "Good. Because I would like to get back to making love to you, and talking kind of ruins the mood."

"Fine..." she whispered, and I grinned, going back to what I was doing.

I unhooked her bra (I may hate the ones that hook in the front, but I got to tell you, it came in handy right then), pulling it off, throwing it aside.

I leaned down, letting my lips meet her neck, teeth softly scraping against her skin. She shuddered beneath me, and so I did it again. Slowly, I kissed my way down to her breasts, then let my tongue trace a trail over her perky nipple, relishing in the moan that I received in response.

My hand slipped down her body, fingers fumbling for the button of her jeans. She lifted her hips so that I could remove the jeans from her legs, and as soon as they were discarded, I slid my hand underneath her boy shorts. I could feel the heat emitting from her center, and the wet betrayal of her arousal drew an involuntary moan from my lips.I let my finger part her slowly, her moans echoing in my ears.

Gently, I started circling her clit with my finger, and I heard her gasp. Her arms, already around my neck, tightened, her fingernails scraping along my shoulder blades.

I adjusted my angle, and entered her with a single digit, swiping my thumb against her clit as I pumped slowly. She gasped, and I added another finger, quickening my pace inside of her.

"Ja...Jade..." she moaned, gripping me tighter. I grinned, and curled my fingers inside of her as I moved even quicker.

"Fuck!" I felt her come apart in my hands moments later, her body shaking. I held her close to me, sliding my hand out of her underwear, joining my other arm around her back.

It took a few minutes, but she finally stopped shaking, and I lowered her back down onto the bed, releasing her, rolling to the side.

"Wow." I heard her say, and I couldn't help but grin.

"Told you. I always get what I want."


	7. Chapter 7

_A tree._

_I was staring at a tree._

_Why the fuck was I staring at a tree?_

_I sat down to ponder this. A tree. A weeping willow, to be specific. Maybe the tree was a metaphor, or something. Maybe it wasn't really there? Maybe..._

_No, no. No more psychological bullshit. Let's just go back to staring at the tree._

_I must say, the tree was rather pretty. I like weeping willows. They...I don't know, seem mysterious or something._

_"Why are you staring at a tree?"_

_I looked up to see Tori sit next to me. "Because...it's pretty?"_

_I felt her hand clasp around mine, and the warmth, however corny, made me smile. "Jade, I get that it's pretty, but...it's a tree."_

_"Nothing is ever just something, you know. Sure, it's a tree, but you know what? Maybe that tree has a life. A family. A dream. Ever think about that?"_

_"No, I haven't. No reason to." Tori laid her head on my shoulder, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "It is pretty though."_

_"I know."_

_  
She nuzzled my neck, her body pressed against mine. "You should have sung to me, you know."_

_I sighed. "Yeah, yeah."_

_"Wake up and do that." She looked up at me, pouting. "Please?"_

* * *

"Please?"

I opened my eyes to see Tori lying next to me, propped up on one elbow, eyes wide open.

I stared at her, confused. "What?" The dream came back to me, and I blinked a few times. "Wait, were you whispering things into my ear while I slept?"

"Maaaaaybe..." Tori replied, grinning. "Did it work?"

"Only if your intent was to piss me off. Was it?"

"No..." She closed her eyes, rolling over onto her stomach. "Forget about it then. I failed."

"Yeah. You did." I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Fuck, I'm tired."

"Me too."

I looked down at her. "You know, there's no rehearsal today. That means we don't have to go anywhere...we could just stay here...in bed..." I felt my face start to go red, and turned away so she wouldn’t see me blush. "If you want to, I mean."

I could see her smile out of the corner of my eye. "Yeah. That would be great."

"Okay." I swung my legs over the side of the bed, standing quickly. “I’ll be right back, I just have to brush my teeth and stuff.”

“Yeah, I already beat you to that.” I heard her say as I made my way to the bathroom. Once I was done, I came back, settling underneath the covers again, ignoring the way her eyes trailed down the skin that was still exposed. “So, now what do you want to do?”

"Lets play Truth or Dare!"

I groaned, throwing an arm over my eyes. “What is with you and playing games?”

She propped herself up on her elbow, still grinning. “They’re fun. And besides, it’s not like we don’t have time to play them.” Leaning closer, she pressed a soft kiss to my lips, lingering only long enough for me to miss it when she pulled away. “And I barely know anything about you, remember? This lets us catch up a little.”

I rolled my eyes. “You could just ask me questions, you know.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”

I fought back the urge to roll my eyes again, deciding to just give in. “Fine.”

"You go first! Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Tori pondered for a few moments, nose wrinkled in thought. "Hmmm...oh! Okay." She grinned, and I instantly regretted saying yes to this game. "What's your most secret sexual kink?"

"Are you kidding me?" I watched as she shook her head, that mischievous smile growing. I sighed heavily, grimacing before I answered. "Biting." I looked at her, shifting uncomfortably. Her eyes shined with mischief.

"Really?..." her voice trailed off, smile somehow growing even wider.

I slapped her on the arm lightly, rolling my eyes. "Shut up. Your turn. Truth or dare?"

“Dare.”

I smirked. "I dare you to kiss me."

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"

I pouted, lower lip jutting out dramatically. "I mean...unless you're too chicken to kiss little old me..."

"Fine...I just thought that mean old Jade would come up with a better dare." She leaned over, pecking me on the lips. "There. Your turn again."

"I really don't think that that really counted..." I muttered, shaking my head. Tori just grinned, beckoning me to continue.

"Fine. Truth."

She pouted, lower lip jutting out in a pathetic display of innocence. "You're no fun."

"Don't care. Ask the damn question, Vega."

"Okay, okay. What's a secret sexual fantasy of yours?"

"I'm not answering that."

"Yes, you are, or else."

I raised an eyebrow. "Or else what?"

"Or else you'll never have sex again."

"I'm fairly certain that that is an empty threat."

She grinned, cocking an eyebrow. "Sure about that?"

I bit my lip, unsure of the look in her eyes. "Ye...no."

"Good. Answer the question."

"I don't have one." I rolled over so that she couldn’t see just how red my cheeks had become.

"You're full of shit."

"Basically."

I felt Tori's hand on the small of my back, shuddering as cold fingers rubbed against my skin. "I'll ask a different question since it bothers you that much."

"Thank you."

"So...what's up between you and Cat?"

I froze, every muscle becoming tense. Tori’s hand still pressed against my back, rubbing absently. "What do you mean?"

"Well...you never seem to get along very well at rehearsals...and she's always muttering things about you...It’s enough to make a girl wonder what’s going on.”

My fingers curled into a fist, and I fought back the urge to start swearing. "We just don't get along very well anymore."

"May I ask why?" Her hand had found its way to my shoulder, and the pressure she exerted was enough to cause me to bite my lips, her touch sending shivers through my body.

“I mean, I would rather you didn’t.” Her hand stopped moving, and I continued before she became worried that she’d offended me in some way. “But, I didn’t answer your other question, so I guess I’ll answer this one.” I turned, facing her. "We used to date. She cheated on me. We broke up. End of story."

"Doesn't really seem like it's the end of the story.” Her face filled with instant regret, and I knew she didn’t mean to let that thought slip out. But it was the concern that also shone on her face that upset me, and I was intent on changing the topic as soon as possible.

"It is. Please, can we move on now?"

She nodded, her concern manifesting as a wrinkled brow. “Yeah, of course. I guess it’s my turn, so I choose…truth.”

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Really? I had you pegged as a dare-only kind of girl.” She only shrugged in response. “Okay then. I know you said that you didn’t intend on me being a one-night stand, but I don’t get why you came back after I’ve been such an ass to you. So, what’s wrong with you, Vega?”

She laughed, lightly shoving my shoulder. “Nothing, you gank.” Her nose wrinkled again as she considered the rest of my question. “I guess I just thought I’d try one more time. The person you were being during rehearsals didn’t match the woman you were during the night we spent together, and I figured that I’d shoot my shot one more time and find out which person was the real you.”

“And what have you found out?”

Tori’s eyes sparkled as she looked back at me, that same mischievous grin dancing on her lips. “That you’re a gank who’s a lot less menacing than you think you are.”

“I’ll show you menacing,” I growled, grabbing her wrists and straddling her hips. She squirmed beneath me, but I pinned her arms above her head until she stopped struggling. “See? Perfectly menacing.”

“And a gank, like I said.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I released her wrists, and rolled off of her. “My turn again. Truth.”

“Too afraid to try a dare, Jade?”

I cocked an eyebrow, but didn’t rise to the bait. “Too nervous to ask me another question, Vega?”

She huffed, but began to think of a question. “What do you want out of this? Us?”

I lay there a few moments, thinking. “Us?” She nodded in reply, nervously biting her lip. “Well, I don’t know really. It’s not like we have to worry about sexual compatibility, so I guess we might as well go on a date or something. I mean, that is, if you want to. For all I know, you might just be in it for my body.”

She lightly smacked my arm, but I could see her smile begin to return. “You really are something else, Jade West.”

“Hey, I don’t know what you’re thinking, and I wouldn’t blame you if you were, you know,” I motioned up and down my torso, “only interested in this part of me.” I held up my hands in mock surrender before she could smack me again. “Anyway, I think it’s your turn again, Vega.”

She glowered at me, shoulders hunched. “Gank. Dare.”

"I dare you to..." I hesitated, thinking. "Kiss me again. But with meaning this time, if you don’t mind.”

I caught her rolling her eyes, but she didn’t waste any time before her lips were on mine, and she was climbing on top of me. Her body pressed against mine as she gently nipped at my bottom lip, tongue quickly soothing where teeth had just been.

I moaned softly as her lips left mine and began peppering the skin of my neck. I felt her nibble gently at the skin underneath my jaw, and a shudder went through me.

"God..." I breathed, trying to calm my racing heart. "When I said “with meaning” I didn’t quite think…”

"Shut up." I heard her whisper, lips brushing to my ear. Now, as someone who hates being told what to do, my natural instinct was to make a smart-ass retort. Any thought of doing that disappeared, though, as soon as I felt her lips reach the base of my neck, brushing against my collarbone.

Her teeth grazed my skin, and I couldn’t help but moan as she bit down lightly, causing the heat between my legs to surge.

"Fuck!”

"Guess you do like that, huh?" Tori laughed quietly, glancing up at me.

"Shut...up..." I muttered, trying to ignore the steadily rising arousal that was burning within me.

"Nah..." she replied, her lips moving farther south, leaving a trail of wet kisses down my abdomen. Her hands moved down to my thighs, slowly massaging the skin. My muscles spasmed in response to her touch, and I could feel that familiar ache deep within me grow.

Her lips were almost all the way down when she suddenly stopped. "Jade?"

I looked at her, panting, far too aroused to be thinking straight. "Wh...what?"

"Truth or dare?"

I blinked, stunned. "What?"

"Truth or dare?"

"You...bitch..." I groaned again as she bit down lightly at the top of hip, my hands grasping at the sheets.

"Answer the question."

I struggled for words as she continued to bite down, my vision going a bit fuzzy. "Jesus Christ, Vega. Dare."

Tori looked up at me, smirk ever present on her lips, eyes shining with impish glee. "I dare you to keep quiet the entire time I'm making love to you."

_Fuck._ I nodded quickly, not wanting to say a single word if it meant getting closer to release. She grinned, her tongue darting out, wetting her lips.

"If I hear _anything..._ I'm going to stop."

I nodded again, trying to get her to hurry along. She laughed softly, then leaned her head back down, gently kissing the inside of my thigh.

"Remember, not one sound, Jade."

A large part of me wanted to make a sharp retort, but all thought of doing so was erased the second I felt her push my legs apart, her tongue flicking out onto my clit.

I grasped the sheets, fisting them in my hand, and bit my lip hard. It took all my effort not to moan, but somehow, I managed.

I felt her hand move its way up my leg, and suddenly, she was inside me. One...no, two fingers. Slowly at first, pace quickening, lips and tongue at the same time. I bit my lip again, tasting blood but not caring as long as it kept me from screaming out her name.

It all became too much, though, and I couldn’t help but gasp as she sucked gently on my clit, curling her fingers inside of me at the same time.

"Fuck, Tori!" I gasped again, coming apart, not caring if I failed, just caring about the pure ecstasy that flowed through my body.

I don't know how long I laid there, my eyes shut, breath coming in short gasps. I eventually opened my eyes to see her staring down at me, a smirk on her face.

"You lost your dare, you know."

"Shut up."


	8. Chapter 8

“You still owe me a song, you know.”

I glanced over at Tori, who sat in the passenger seat of my car like she had always sat there, feet up on the dash without a care. “I will turn this car around, Vega.”

She shrugged, leaning over to fiddle with the radio. “Just thought I’d remind you.” With the push of a button, she managed to turn off my alternative station and the strains of something vaguely pop-sounding came pumping through the speakers. I groaned, but that only made her grin as she sat back in her seat.

“You’re killing me.” I muttered, flicking on my turn signal, trying my best to ignore her as her grin just grew wider.

A few moments passed before she spoke up again. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“It’s a surprise,” I replied, pulling to a stop at a red light.

“You’re not going to kill me, right?” I looked over at her, puzzled. She nodded her head towards the backseat. “I noticed the shovel. Just wanted to make sure you weren’t planning on murdering me and burying me in the desert somewhere.”

“Do you think I’m the kind of person who goes around sleeping with pretty girls and then killing them?”

She shrugged again. “I’d like to think you’re not, but you never really know these days.”

I stared at her for a moment before noticing that the light had turned green, pulling my attention back to the road. “Well, if I planned on killing you, I probably wouldn’t tell you ahead of time. I also wouldn’t leave anything incriminating like a shovel in the backseat of my car where anyone can see it, so I think you’re safe.” I paused, then chuckled. “This time.”

“Jade!” She swatted my arm playfully, which only made me smirk. “You’re not funny.”

“Who said I was joking?” I winced as she swatted me again. “Hey!”

She crossed her arms, leaning back against the seat. “How much longer until we get wherever it is that we’re going?”

“About fifteen seconds,” I replied, flicking my turn signal on again.

She sat up straighter, looking around as we turned into the parking lot. “Where are we?”

I pulled into a parking space, putting the car into park before taking the key out of the ignition. “Shadow Creek Park.”

I didn’t wait for her to respond before I got out of the car and opened the door to the backseat. Tori’s eyes were trained on me as I reached past the shovel and grabbed my backpack off of the floor behind the passenger seat. I could hear the sigh of relief as I closed the door again.

I slung the bag over my shoulder and leaned against the car as I waited for her to exit. A few moments passed before the door opened and Tori got out.

“Geez, it’s about time,” I remarked, making a show of glancing at an invisible watch on my wrist. She responded by sticking her tongue out at me and flipping the bird before she took a better look at our surroundings. I couldn’t blame her for looking unimpressed; the entrance to Shadow Creek Park was composed of a few wilting trees that flanked the beginning of a dusty trail. All it needed was a few tumbleweeds for it to look like it belonged being the set of an old John Wayne movie.

But Shadow Creek Park was much more than its first impression, even if Tori didn’t know that yet.

“Come on,” I said, starting to walk towards the trail. “We’ve got a bit to go before we get there.”

“Get _where_?” Tori asked, catching up so that she walked just behind me. “And what’s in your bag?”

“You ask way too many questions, do you know that?” I glanced back at her to make sure I hadn’t offended her with that comment, satisfied that I hadn’t when she stuck her tongue out at me again. “I’m not answering either of those questions because that’ll spoil the surprise. And I’m sure that you love surprises.”

I could hear her grumbling, but she didn’t ask any more questions about where we were going. In fact, for the next ten minutes or so, the only sounds she made were those of exertion as the trail became less straightforward. The dust that kicked up around our feet became redder as clay mixed into it, and there were a few more trees that lined the way that looked less sickly the further we got from the parking lot.

“Be careful going up this hill, okay? Sometimes the rocks like to give way, and I don’t feel like rushing your clumsy ass to the hospital.”

“You know, I didn’t think I’d be climbing a damn mountain on our first date,” Tori huffed, causing me to look back to make sure she wasn’t actually irritated.

“Vega, if this isn’t your cup of tea, we can just go. I just thought…” I started, before she shook her head.

“No, no, I’m just being difficult.” She smiled at me reassuringly, but I must have still looked concerned, because she reached out and grabbed my hand in hers’. “Hey, seriously, I’m excited to see where you’re taking me. I figure it must be good if you’ve taken us all the way out here, right?” She emphasized her point with a gentle squeeze of my hand, lingering for a moment before letting go.

I looked at her a moment longer, before sighing and turning back around. “It’s only a few more minutes, anyway. We just have to get to the top of this hill.” I started walking again, listening for her footsteps behind me. They were there, remaining steady as we approached the foot of the hill.

I was about to start climbing up it when I heard her stop, which caused me to pause. I was about to ask if everything was alright when she interrupted my train of thought.

“Hey Jade?”

Glancing back, I noticed that she had tied her hair back into a ponytail, brunette tresses sitting high on-top of her head. My mouth went dry when I noticed the hickey on her neck, a flash of pride coursing through my veins. I must have been staring, because she laughed, causing me to blink and pay attention to her again. “Yeah?”

She leaned in close, and I thought for sure that she was going to kiss me. My eyes began to close in anticipation, but the moment never came, because instead of her lips meeting mine they instead hovered near my ear as she whispered. “Race you.”

She was scampering up the hill before I could even open my eyes and register exactly what she had said. It finally clicked when I realized she was at least twenty feet ahead of me.

“Oh, you are _on_ , Vega!”

I’m not usually one for running; it wastes too much energy, and one looks silly doing it, and it also can cause one to sweat and I _don’t_ sweat, but I also don’t lose. Ever. So there was no way I was going to let her beat me to the top of that hill.

At least, that was what I told myself until I watched her reach the top a good minute before I reached the top, gasping for breath and swearing under my breath. Tori leaned against a rock, unable to hide the triumphant smile that adorned her face. She held up her wrist, tapping on it. “What took you so long?”

“Fuck you.”

She shook her head. “Tsk tsk. That’s no way for someone to talk to their girlfr…” She caught herself before finishing the word, holding her hand in front of her mouth, cheeks turning crimson. “Oh my god, I’m sorry, it just slipped out, and we haven’t even talked about it, and…”

I rolled my eyes, walking over to her. “Vega. Shut up.”

“Yeah, shutting up now,” she said meekly, her voice barely above a whisper. She dropped her hand, but her eyes remained fixed on the ground.

I reached out, cupping the side of her face with my hand, trying to urge her to look at me. She did, and I could see the fear shine in her eyes, though I wasn’t completely sure what it was that she was afraid of. “Tori, do you like me?”

“Of course I do,” she answered. “But…”

I cut her off by pulling her face closer to mine, closing the distance between her lips and mine. She was surprised by that, but kissed me back. It wasn’t a long kiss, and it was pretty chaste all things considered, but when I pulled back, I hoped that I had gotten my point across anyway. “I don’t know if it’s too early for labels since we’re literally still on our first date, but I also don’t particularly care. If you want to call me your girlfriend, I’m not going to say no.”

I could practically feel the tension leave her body as she sighed in relief. “Oh thank God.”

I reached for her hand, lacing my fingers through hers’. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, can we continue?” She nodded, letting me lead her forward. “Good, because we’re basically here. Just have to cross over this ridge, and then we can sit down for a while.”

We walked for another minute, the trail widening until it became an open expanse, culminating in the edge of a cliff. I led her towards that edge, stopping when I felt her squeeze my hand and gasp.

“Oh my God, this is incredible,” she breathed, and I couldn’t help but agree with her. It didn’t matter how many times I came up here, the view from the top of Shadow Creek Park never failed to take my breath away. Below us, the city of Los Angeles lay, sun glinting off of all the glass and steel. We were far enough away that the ever-present sounds of car horns and sirens were but mere whispers in the breeze, and the smog was no more than a vapor.

“And more is yet to come,” I said, letting go of her hand in order to shrug off my backpack. Opening it, I pulled out a blanket and spread it on the ground. I sat, patting the space next to me so that she would sit too. As she did, I pulled out the bottle of wine I had brought, along with two plastic glasses. I handed the glasses to Tori and put the bottle between us before reaching into the pocket of my jeans to pull out my pocketknife. I could see a glimmer of concern flash through Tori’s eyes before I opened the knife’s corkscrew attachment.

“I hope you like cabernet sauvignon, because that’s all I had in the house this morning and I didn’t want to stop at a corner store,” I said, peeling the foil off of the top of the bottle and screwing the corkscrew into the cork. “And if you don’t like cabernet, I also brought a few of those little airplane bottles of vodka and a water bottle filled with orange juice. The wine just seemed more your speed.”

“I’ve never had a cab sav that I didn’t like,” Tori replied, holding out the glasses for me to fill. I pulled the cork out, and began to pour the wine as she watched. “This all seems pretty romantic, Jade. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Ha ha,” I deadpanned, setting the bottle back down. After unscrewing the cork out of the corkscrew, I slipped the knife back into my pocket and took my glass of wine out of Tori’s hand. “I’ll have you know that I’m the most romantic person I know.”

“Oh yeah?” Tori challenged, and I merely held up my glass in front of her.

“Yeah.” I clinked my glass against hers’, bringing it up to my lips. “Here’s to us, Vega.”

She took a sip from her glass, and I followed suit, relishing the taste of the wine as it hit my tongue. Tori seemed to also enjoy it, as she took another generous sip, and I couldn’t keep myself from smiling. She looked over at me, and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face quick enough for her not to see. If I’m being honest, I didn’t even bother trying.

“You seem…different,” she said, reaching over to brush a lock of hair behind my ear. I let her, leaning into her touch.

“I think I might be…happy,” I replied, hating the words as they left my mouth. I didn’t _do_ happiness. It was mushy and sappy and everything that I actively tried not to be. But nothing else quite described the warm feeling in my chest that bloomed whenever she smiled.

“You _might_ be?” she joked. “Well geez, you’ve got yourself a brand new, smoking hot girlfriend, I should _hope_ that you’re happy!”

“Smoking hot, huh?” I took another sip from my glass, eyeing her up from over the rim. “You sure do think highly of yourself.”

“I don’t hear you disagreeing though, do I?” She waggled her eyebrows, practically baiting me into shooting back with a sarcastic reply. I was about to, too, when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I swore, setting down my glass of wine next to me in order to reach into my pocket to grab it. A new notification popped up on the screen. _New Message from Cat Valentine._

Well, shit. I debated ignoring it, but given that the show was about to enter tech rehearsals, I knew that I needed to at least read what it said. A quick typing in of my passcode, and her text was revealed on my screen.

_Just checking in. Haven’t heard from you since last rehearsal. Figured I’d make sure you were okay._

I must have swore again, because Tori looked over at me with concern in her eyes as she asked if everything was alright.

“Yeah, just dandy,” I replied, my hand gripped tight around my phone. I saw her eyes glance down at the screen, just long enough to see who had texted.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

I laughed, reaching for the bottle of wine. I refilled both of our glasses before shaking my head. “God no.”

Tori nodded, watching as I took a generous swallow of wine. “Okay.” She went quiet for a moment, taking a slow sip of her own drink as she watched me set my own glass back down long enough to send a terse _I’m fine_ back to Cat. The silence finally got to be too much, though, and as I stuffed my phone back into my pocket, I gritted my teeth and decided to bite the bullet.

“Just ask whatever it is that you’re wanting to ask, Vega.”

She hesitated, fingers tapping nervously on her glass. “Do you still love her?”

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to actually think about the question. “Seems like a bit of a heavy question to ask during a first date, doesn’t it?”

“Is that a yes, then?” I could hear the faintest tinge of jealousy and bitterness in her voice.

“I never said that.” I sighed, setting my glass down on the ground behind me. I laid down on the blanket, rubbing my eyes with the palms of my hands. “I was just remarking on how fucked up this whole thing is.”

“That doesn’t make things sound any better, you know,” Tori said, and I noticed that she was no longer looking down at me, but instead gazed down at the city below. In the light of the slowly-setting sun, I was once again struck by how beautiful she really was, even when she wasn’t smiling.

“I know.” I sighed again, lacing my fingers behind my head, turning my gaze towards the sky above me. “But I also didn’t answer your original question yet, so don’t jump to any conclusions.” I continued on before she was able to interrupt. “No, I’m not still _in_ love with her. But…”

“But?” Tori said, her voice lacking the emotion that normally characterized it.

“ _But_ I think I’m always going to love her a little bit, the same way that I’m sure that part of you still loves whatever exes you may have.” This caused her to look back my way, and I took the opportunity to motion for her to lay down as well. She did, albeit cautiously. I continued. “Cat Valentine was the first person I loved, and I can’t change that. She’s still one of my best friends, even though we’re not exactly seeing eye to eye right now.” I reached out, lacing my fingers between Tori’s again, rubbing small circles into the back of her hand with the ball of my thumb. ”I don’t know what to say to you that won’t make you feel threatened by her other than no, I’m not in love with her, and I don’t want to be with her. I want to be with _you._ ”

Tori responded by leaning forward and kissing me; a kiss that started chaste enough but soon transformed into something much steamier. My unoccupied hand came around the back of her head, fingers running through her hair and pulling her closer to me.

She eventually broke away, breathing heavily, eyes half-lidded. I looked at her expectantly, knowing that she would have something more to say. I wasn’t wrong.

“I just don’t want to be your rebound, I guess.” She said it so quietly I almost missed it, but it still cut me to the bone. The look on my face must have betrayed how much it had hurt, because she immediately looked apologetic. “Oh God, Jade, I didn’t mean…”

“No, no,” I rolled over onto my back, staring up at the darkening sky. “I get it.”

Below us, the sounds of the city grew quieter as we both lay there, listening to the night.

Tori waited a few minutes before saying anything again. “I really do like you, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

I felt her hand creep into mine again, and the warmth of her skin against mine reassured me more than her words did. “I’m sorry.”

I shook my head. “Don’t be.” I paused before laughing dryly. “I’m sorry that I can’t say that I hate her.”

“I would never want you to.”

Another pause, and then I sighed, rolling onto my side again so that I faced her. “We can make this work, right?”

She nodded. “I’m in if you are.”

I sat up, reaching for both of our glasses. Once we each held our respective glass, I laid back down, clinking hers’ against mine once more. “Here’s to trying our best.”

We drank in silence for a few more moments, before Tori decided to ask another question.

“Jade?”

“Hmm?”

“What _was_ the shovel for?”

I merely laughed in response.


	9. Chapter 9

Opening night.

The curtains were closed but poised to be opened. The audience were in their seats. The actors were ready. The lights were ready. Everything was ready.

I was ready.

I stood backstage, looking at the group of actors, techies, and costumers standing in front of me. "Okay, all. Tonight's the big night. The night when all of our hard work pays off. The night when we get to show those people out there just how awesome a bunch of ‘amateurs’ really can be. The night when we finally get our paychecks." A cheer rose at that. "Now, are you all going to make me proud?"

The cheer grew louder, and I felt a rare smile grace my lips. "Good. Now, get out there, and show me that you aren't all wastes of space."

I turned away from the group, and started to walk away, when a hand reached out and grabbed my arm. I stopped, turning my head. "What?"

Cat stood behind me, her hand now by her side. "I just wanted to say that I hope everything goes well for you and Tori."

I bit my lip, frowning. "How..."

"Saw you kissing before you came in." she shrugged, her eyes failing to meet mine. "Good for you. She's a good person.”

"Well...uhm...thanks." I shuffled my feet awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "I'm...sorry about what I did the other night. I was out of line and being drunk isn’t an excuse."

She shook her head, holding up a hand in front of her. "Forget about it. It never happened. Besides, I’m not exactly blameless, am I?” She looked up, motioning to her left. "You better go...the show's about to start."

I hesitated. "Cat..."

She smiled sadly, shaking her head. "I know."

"Jade!" I heard Tori call from the opposite side of the stage.

I took another look at Cat, but she was already walking away. I thought about calling out to her again, but instead I left, making my way over to where Tori was waiting.

"Are you ready?" I asked, taking note of the excited, yet obviously nervous, expression on her face.

She nodded quickly, her hands clasped hard behind her back. She bounced up and down on her tiptoes. "Uh huh...just, you know...got a bit of opening night jitters."

I laughed, placing my hands on her shoulders, pushing her down. "Calm down, okay? You're going to be great."

"You think so?"

I rolled my eyes. "Would I say it if I didn't mean it?"

She cocked her head thoughtfully. "No..."

"Exactly." I heard the pit orchestra begin to play, and smiled. "Better get ready. Show's about to start."

Tori took a deep breath, her eyes closed. I took advantage of that brief moment, grabbing her arm and pulling her in close to me, claiming her lips with my own.

It may have been short, but damn if it wasn’t sweet. I parted from her, laughing softly at the blush that was spreading across her face.

"Break a leg." I whispered in her ear. I turned around, walking away and leaving her speechless in my wake.

* * *

I would be lying if I said that the show wasn't fantastic. Well, as fantastic as a musical can be.

Tori was perfect. She went out there, and gave the best performance of her life. I couldn't have been prouder.

The night was far from over, though.

"Vega!" I called out, walking over to Tori as quickly as possible after the curtains closed and the audience had filtered out of the theater. I had instructed the rest of the cast and crew to leave as soon as they possibly could after the show, and from what I could tell, they had taken that instruction to heart, because only Tori and I remained.

She looked up at me, and let out a little squeal of happiness as she jumped on me, arms wrapped tight around me, squeezing as tightly as she could.

"I did it!"

I coughed, trying to get some air in my lungs. "Can't...breathe.."

Tori let me go, her face going red. "Sorry...guess I’m just a little overexcited."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "It's okay. I'm used to it." I smiled. "You were great."

Tori's eyes lit up. "I was?"

I nodded. "Yeah...you were."

A giant smile spread across her face. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Yeah, well..." I scratched my head idly. "Uh, everyone has left, haven't they? You didn’t see anyone lurking behind the stage when you were back there, right?”

She turned around, scanning the theater. "Pretty sure everyone else left already, why?”

I took a deep breath. "Because...I have a surprise for you."

"Really? What is it?"

I motioned towards the empty seats. "Sit down."

"Oh...kay..." she made her way over to a front row seat, and sat down. "Now what?"

I grabbed a cd player from behind the curtain, and sat down on the stage, my legs hanging off the edge. "Now? You shut up and listen."

I pressed the play button on the player, and the soft strains of an acoustic guitar came through the speakers of the machine.

I took a deep breath, then started to sing.

_"Childhood living, is easy to do_

_the things you wanted, I bought them for you._

_Graceless lady, you know who I am,_

_You know I can't let you slide through my hands._

_Wild horses, couldn't drag me away,_

_Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away."_

I glanced up at Tori, who stared at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read but that nonetheless sparked a fire inside of my chest. Her eyes met mine, and a smile spread across her face. I felt one start to form on my lips as well, and let it come as I continued to sing.

_"I watched you suffer, a dull aching pain,_

_Now you decided to show me the same._

_No sweeping exits, or off stage lines,_

_Could make me feel bitter, or treat you unkind._

_Wild horses, couldn't drag me away._

_Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away."_

I let myself get caught up in the music, floating on the notes and rhythms. God, it was beautiful. My eyes slid shut, and I was lost.

_"I know I've dreamed you a sin and a lie,_

_I have my freedom, but I don't have much time._

_Faith has been broken, tears must be cried._

_Let's do some living, after we die._

_Wild horses, couldn't drag me away._

_Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them someday._

_Wild horses, couldn't drag me away."_

I opened my eyes, catching Tori's gaze.

_"Wild, wild horses..._

_we'll ride them someday."_

The music died away as my last note faded off into the air. I breathed deeply, the feeling the music had given me quickly dissipating.

I heard a slow clap coming from in front of me, and I looked up to see Tori standing there, clapping. A tear slid down her face, and I could tell it was genuine by the expression on her face.

"That was…so beautiful." she managed to say, and I laughed softly.

"What are you crying for, Vega?" I hopped down off the stage, leaning against it, arms crossed. "It was just a song."

She shook her head, before throwing her arms around me. "No, it wasn't." She lifted her head, allowing me to wipe away her tears as she rested against my chest.

"No," I agreed. "It wasn't."

I leaned down, kissing her softly. She kissed me back, gentle and sweet and filled with the promise of more.

And for the first time in what seemed like forever, I looked forward to whatever the future had in store, because I knew I would be facing it with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for coming along for this ride, everyone! I'll be editing and uploading another fic soon, so keep an eye out!  
> Also, if you haven't already heard Liz Gillies' cover of Wild Horses, follow this link! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bcr3RTEqSE


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